Port Adelaide's 2022 review: The Hope, the Hurt and the Clanger

Coming off back-to-back preliminary losses, Port Adelaide were tipped to be right in the thick of things once again, but how wrong were we.

The Power began their 2022 campaign 0-5, losing to Brisbane, Hawthorn, Adelaide, Melbourne and Carlton.

Results against the Blues and the Crows could've gone either way but nevertheless, it seemed a return to September action would be out of the question.

Sydney's 2017 side was able to overcome such a similar disastrous start in recent times, finishing sixth after beginning the year 0-6.

Following plenty of scrutiny, Ken Hinkley's hand was forced into change as the player magnets were thrown around.

For starters, Connor Rozee and Zak Butters were entrusted with more midfield minutes as well as not always having a traditional ruckman in the side, with Jeremy Finlayson shouldering the load more often than not.

Rozee's move was inspired, which resulted in the 22-year-old coming fifth in the AFLCA Champion player Award, behind Touk Miler, Clayton Oliver, Lachie Neale and Christian Petracca.

A turn of fortune occurred after the narrow loss to Carlton, which saw the Power nearly match their losses with wins.

West Coast, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne were all victims of Port Adelaide's surge back into contention.

However, hurdles in the likes of Geelong and Richmond put a minor halt in Hinkley's quest to return to finals as they sat 5-7 after round 13.

A surprise victory against top four fancy Sydney and a thrilling two-point win over Gold Coast squared off the win/loss ledger as finals were now a realistic goal in 2022.

Falling at the hands of Fremantle and thrashing the Giants, the Power were now 8-8 after round 17, but faced a tough month of football that would make or break their season.

Dates with ladder leaders Melbourne and the Cats (again) in consecutive weeks spelled trouble for the Power, who unfortunately lost both by two goals.

Travelling to the MCG to face Collingwood, Port Adelaide had no other option than winning, otherwise they could start booking their September holidays.

In typical Magpie fashion, Craig McRae's men overcame a four-goal deficit late in the first quarter to break the hearts of Power fans, winning by six points.

Losing four of their past five, the Power had to endure an onslaught for a hungry Tigers outfit as their finals hopes were officially dashed.

In order to restore some pride, Hinkley's men put together their best performance of the year against Essendon, smashing the Bombers by 84 points.

The following week continued its trend, putting the sword to arch rivals Adelaide in the final round of the year.

The club finished 11th with 10 wins.

The Hope

Connor Rozee/Todd Marshall

Young stars Connor Rozee and Todd Marshall have announced themselves as the future of the Port Adelaide football club.

Rozee took his game to new heights in 2022, playing a lot more midfield minutes and being damaging at what he does.

Kicking 18 goals, the 22-year-old used his elusiveness and footy smarts to collect the ball at speed and go from inside the congestion to outside extremely quick, providing forwards with the best opportunity.

Rozee averaged 23 possessions and three clearances but will gain more confidence knowing he can match it with the game's best.

Mentioning forwards, Marshall has had a break-out season, slotting 45 majors from his 21 outings.

Starved of supply at times, the 23-year-old battled the best he could and was the Power's best forward in 2022 as well as the most accurate.

Marshall has an uncanny ability to find himself in the right spot and use his smarts to beat defenders, while his goal kicking is second to none.

Age bracket

Although still with some experienced campaigners on their list like Travis Boak and Charlie Dixon, Port Adelaide's list is currently in the sweet spot, according to past premiership teams.

The Power's average age is 24.8 (similar to Melbourne) and have the fourth most experienced list in the competition.

However, there's still a host of players entering the key age bracket between 24-28 years of age, like Aliir, Wines, Finlayson, Dan Houston, Sam Powell-Pepper, Willem Drew, Marshall, Rozee and Butters.

Plenty to like about the Power and plenty to work with going forward.

The Hurt

Showdown LI (51)

Included in the horrible 0-5 start was a heartbreaking loss to Adelaide, in what would be a stick in the craw for Port Adelaide fans.

Showdown LI (51) saw the Power lead for most of the game, yet not being able to put the Crows away, leading by a match-high 23 points in the second term.

However, Hinkley's men were wildly inaccurate, kicking 13.14 for the match.

A five goal to one last quarter for the Crows put them right in the thick of things to steal the victory and bragging rights.

Enter prized recruit Jordan Dawson, who stepped up when it mattered most, slotting a goal after the sire from a difficult pocket for a left footer.

Karl Amon's departure

Karl Amon has officially nominated Hawthorn as his destination for 2023, with the free agent exploring his rights.

The classy left footer has been with the Power since 2014 and has played 124 games, looking likely to take his game to the next level, resulting in being selected for the 2021 All-Australian squad.

In 2022, Amon continued his stellar form, averaging 24 touches, six marks and four tackles.

The 27-year-old's departure means there'll be a vacant position on the wing, which is hard to fill given the current climate of midfielders in the competition.

Robbie Gray's retirement

Arguably the greatest Port Adelaide player in the AFL era, Gray's retirement was expected but still doesn't numb the pain.

Formerly known as Mr.Clutch, the 34-year-old decided to hang up the boots after 271 games for the club, kicking 226 goals and winning five-Showdown Medals.

Although it would've brought tears to fans' eyes, Gray left on a high, defeating Adelaide in Showdown LII (52) to end his career.

His personal accolades went on, while awarded with four-time All-Australian, three-time John Cahill Medalist, 2014 AFLCA player of the year and multiple representative games for Australia.

The Clanger

0-5 start

Well, what can we say about Port Adelaide's start?

Aside from giving themselves no chance to make finals, the club found themselves in disarray, with Hinkley forced to answer questions about his future.

Despite having one more year to go on his contract, there was an air of change amongst the Power due to their start.

Although the dust has settled, it brought Hinkley and some players into disrepute.

They managed to finish the year with a respectable win/loss record although the club would have had much higher expectations.

What do Port Adelaide need?

Across the ground, Port Adelaide have stars who are still in the prime of their careers and will provide good football for the foreseeable future.

However, a position the Power are lacking is a genuine ruckman, with Scott Lycett struggling to remain healthy and no real backup.

Finlayson battled valiantly and was surprisingly effective in the ruck role, but it is not a viable solution.

Adding an established ruckman to a team that was one game short of a grand final (2020, 2021) would allow Ollie Wines, Boak, Butters, Rozee and the like to dominate even more so.

Given the likely vacancy on the wing, veteran Boak could move there to preserve his health while we know the youngsters can perform in the centre.

Another potential improvement area for the Power could be their key defensive stocks.

Aliir Aliir, Trent McKenzie and Tom Clurey are all strong defenders combined with Tom Jonas but would benefit more from another tall defender.

Jonas and Aliir love to peel off their opponents are come across to help out their teammates, which is ideal if McKenzie and Clurey can hold down their opponents.

If not, then they're toast.

Players linked to the club

Josh Dunkley's name continues to pop up for Port Adelaide, with the Western Bulldog potentially looking elsewhere to play his football in 2023.

West Coast's Junior Rioli is another player who could be going to the Power, with family links in the state.

Rioli is yet to re-sign with the Eagles and is weighing up his options.

Collingwood's Brodie Grundy has been consistently linked back to his home state, South Australia, but new reports suggest he's keen to stay in Victoria.

Retirements and Delistings